"Obviously now Ajax think about the final," the United manager told journalists at Old Trafford.

"Their league finishes on Sunday and they will have 12 days to prepare for the final and we have three Premier League matches to play.

"Hopefully Crystal Palace (United's final league opponents) don't need the last game, because in the last game I'm going to make a lot of changes and nobody can blame us because we have a final two days later."

With United struggling to secure a top-four finish in the Premier League, having fallen four points behind fourth-place Manchester City, winning the Europa League is their last hope of reaching the Champions League.

But Mourinho said it would be wrong purely to view the final as a means to an end, particularly as United have never previously won the competition.

"It means an opportunity to win a trophy, the opportunity to be back in the Champions League," said the Portuguese, who won the Uefa Cup – the precursor to the Europa League – with Porto in 2003.

"It means an opportunity to end the season in the perfect way because the final is the last match of the season."

Leading 1-0 from last week's first leg in Vigo, United doubled their advantage in the 17th minute when first-leg match-winner Marcus Rashford crossed for Marouane Fellaini to head home.

But Facundo Roncaglia reduced the arrears with five minutes remaining before being sent off following a shoving match with Bailly